[Vision2020] Latah Commission 'Shocked' By City's Action

[Mark Solomon]

Jerry,

I'm not the one making these claims. If you've got information to 
share, please do. With the facts.

m.

At 6:57 PM -0800 1/30/07, Jerry Weitz wrote:
>Mark, Call the Good Sam folks up as I did.  Also, Mark did you call 
>Jim Hill up to find out why James Toyota had no choice but to 
>relocate? I stand behind what was told to me by both entities.  Jerry
>At 10:55 PM 1/29/07, Mark Solomon wrote:
>>Jerry,
>>
>>I find it hard to believe your oft-repeated claim that a city 
>>process increased the price of a multi-million dollar construction 
>>project by 20%. Please support your claims with some real numbers 
>>so I can believe.
>>
>>best,
>>
>>Mark Solomon
>>
>>At 9:08 PM -0800 1/29/07, Jerry Weitz wrote:
>>>No Bill, It was Chaney that made Randy Fife serve the order. 
>>>Randy was following orders.  Randy Fife is a person of integrity. 
>>>Another example,  Chaney's actions on unbundling the development 
>>>process caused at least a 20% increase of building cost for Good 
>>>Sam as our community now lacks space for those in need of long 
>>>term care. Antigrowth and lack of respect for the UI really stinks 
>>>and it hurts to see it happen for people who care.  Unfortuately, 
>>>the bottom does not seem to be in sight.  Chaney must go.  Jerry
>>>
>>>
>>>At 11:52 AM 1/20/07, Bill London wrote:
>>>>I want to thank Aaron Ament and Bob Stout, the two council members who are
>>>>clearly explaining that city attorney Randy Fife should never have issued
>>>>that cease-and-desist order shutting down the ice rink.
>>>>Fife made a mistake.  The Council was trying to mellow out this little turf
>>>>war thing with the county and Fife threw gasoline on the fire.
>>>>I agree that Fife needs to go.Fife
>>>>BL
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>----- Original Message -----
>>>>From: "Tom Hansen" <thansen at moscow.com>
>>>>To: "Vision 2020" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
>>>>Sent: Saturday, January 20, 2007 7:47 AM
>>>>Subject: [Vision2020] Latah Commission 'Shocked' By City's Action
>>>>
>>>>>  >From today's (January 20, 2007) Lewiston Tribune -
>>>>>
>>>>>  ----------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>>
>>>>>  Latah commission 'shocked' by city's action
>>>>>
>>>>>  By DAVID JOHNSON of the Tribune
>>>>>
>>>>>  MOSCOW -- Bottom line: The Moscow Rotary Veterans Memorial Pavilion ice
>>>>rink
>>>>>  at the Latah County Fairgrounds should remain open through the current
>>>>>  skating season and probably beyond.
>>>>>
>>>>>  It also appears the powers-that-be have joined ranks to ensure 
>>>>>a permanent
>>>>>  enclosed multipurpose building, which includes a bigger ice rink, will be
>>>>>  built in the near future.
>>>>>
>>>>>  Those predictions prevailed Friday after miffed members of the Latah
>>>>County
>>>>>  Commission voted unanimously to appeal a Moscow cease-and-desist order
>>>>that
>>>>>  threatened to shut down the popular ice rink next week.
>>>>>
>>>>>  "That's the first cease-and-desist order I've ever gotten," Commissioner
>>>>>  Jack Nelson said, adding he was "shocked" with the city's action.
>>>>>
>>>>>  The order came from City Attorney Randy Fife, apparently with Mayor Nancy
>>>>>  Chaney's concurrence. "I think it's in keeping with enforcing the city's
>>>>>  laws," she said earlier in the week, and she stood by the statement after
>>>>>  the commission meeting.
>>>>>
>>>>>  But two Moscow city councilors, Aaron Ament and Bob Stout, washed their
>>>>>  hands of the tactic. Stout said he was "embarrassed" by the
>>>>cease-and-desist
>>>>>  order and Ament said the administrative action was a "slap in 
>>>>>the face" to
>>>>>  city council members and county officials.
>>>>>
>>>>>  The rink is located on county-owned fairgrounds property within 
>>>>>the Moscow
>>>>>  city limits.
>>>>>
>>>>>  The city order, issued last week, said the threatened shutdown was based
>>>>on
>>>>>  the county's failure to finish a parking lot paving project 
>>>>>around the ice
>>>>>  rink under a city special-use permit. Several people at the meeting said
>>>>>  afterwards they couldn't believe city officials would actually close the
>>>>>  rink, especially to all the children who use it, over an unfinished
>>>>asphalt
>>>>>  project. They said the situation smacked more of a power struggle between
>>>>>  political entities.
>>>>>
>>>>>  Latah County Prosecutor William Thompson Jr., acting as the commission's
>>>>>  legal council, said evidence shows the county had done much of the paving
>>>>>  work and substantially complied with the special-use permit.
>>>>>
>>>>>  But the bigger issue, Thompson suggested, revolves around a 
>>>>>legal question
>>>>  > whether the city has any authority over what happens with the ice rink.
>>>>The
>>>>>  county, Thompson said, has never acquiesced to city authority. The
>>>>>  commissioners agreed to provisions of the city special-use permit, he
>>>>said,
>>>>>  mostly as a good-neighbor gesture.
>>>>>
>>>>>  The county appeal of the cease-and-desist order will go to the city's
>>>>board
>>>>>  of adjustment, Thompson said. The appeal should result in a stay of any
>>>>>  enforcement action and the rink will remain open. If the board denies the
>>>>>  appeal, the matter can then be appealed directly to the city council. The
>>>>>  courts ultimately could get involved and that would buy even more time,
>>>>>  Thompson said.
>>>>>
>>>>>  That's good, said Tim Ewers of the Palouse Ice Rink Association (PIRA),
>>>>>  because the rink is extremely popular and hundreds of people devoted to
>>>>>  figure skating, hockey and open skating would be left without a facility
>>>>>  should the city take enforcement action.
>>>>>
>>>>>  In the meantime, the commissioners, PIRA representatives, members of the
>>>>>  Latah County Fairground Board and apparently city representatives have
>>>>>  apparently agreed to resume talks leading to construction of a permanent
>>>>>  enclosed structure at the site.
>>>>>
>>>>>  Chaney said the city's cease-and-desist action served as a catalyst to
>>>>bring
>>>>>  all interested parties together to ultimately build what the majority of
>>>>>  people want at the fairgrounds. But Stout and Ament said the same ends
>>>>could
>>>>>  have been reached through less drastic means.
>>>>>
>>>>>  The meeting was attended by about 50 people, most of them ice rink users.
>>>>>
>>>>>  Mike Fredrickson, chairman of the fairgrounds board, said he and other
>>>>>  members want to work with PIRA to develop a multi-purpose facility that
>>>>>  meets the needs and wants of those who like ice-skating and others who
>>>>could
>>>>>  enjoy different activities under the same roof.
>>>>>
>>>>>  Steve Bush, spokesman for the Moscow Rotary Club that's supplied most of
>>>>the
>>>>>  financial backing for the ice rink, said it's time to keep all entities
>>>>>  working together toward construction of a facility that meets the growing
>>>>>  demands of a public hungry for ice time. He said a better building will
>>>>>  easily attract more people and pay for itself.
>>>>>
>>>>>  ----------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>>
>>>>>  Seeya round town, Moscow.
>>>>>
>>>>>  Tom Hansen
>>>>>  Moscow, Idaho
>>>>>
>>>>>  "Only by going too far can one possibly find out how far one can go."
>>>>>
>>>>>  - Jon Dyer
>>>>>
>>>>>
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>>>>
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